Middle East

Nations · Middle East

Middle East news on Israel, Gaza, Iran, and the Gulf: the conflicts and diplomacy reshaping the region.

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MIDDLE EAST

Yemen government forces say Houthi ‘members, vehicles’ targeted in Mocha

Al Jazeera

Yemeni government forces says they launched air strikes on Houthi fighters along the Red Sea coast.

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MIDDLE EAST

Left with nothing, people in Gaza are forced to rent generators by the hour

Al Jazeera

Israel's destruction of homes and infrastructure in Gaza has forced Palestinians to rent generators by the hour.

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MIDDLE EAST

Houthis celebrate seizing control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast

Al Jazeera

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis have been celebrating after seizing control of the Red Sea coast in a rapid offensive.

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MIDDLE EAST

China’s marriage crisis: The search for love

Al Jazeera

101 East explores how ancient traditions are getting a modern makeover as young Chinese seek new ways to find love.

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MIDDLE EAST

Israel-Lebanon talks postponed as explosions rock southern Lebanon

Al Jazeera

President Aoun says 'no new negotiations with Israel at the moment'.

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MIDDLE EAST

Saudi Arabia shuts critical oil pipeline after drone attack: What it means

Al Jazeera

Baghdad launches investigation, closes border after confirming strike came from Iraqi territory.

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MIDDLE EAST

Satellite image shows critical Saudi pipeline damaged in drone attack

Al Jazeera

Saudi Arabia has shut its East-West oil pipeline after a drone attack. Riyadh says the attack originated in Iraq.

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MIDDLE EAST

Iran war live: Houthis control Red Sea coast, Saudi pipeline shut down

Al Jazeera

Houthi forces seize Yemen's Red Sea coast while Saudi Arabia suspends crucial oil pipeline following drone attack.

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More Headlines

MIDDLE EAST

India's Middle East peace push at Brics: UAE crown prince meets Iran prez Pezeshkian

The Times of India

MIDDLE EAST

Iran-US war latest: Crucial Saudi oil pipeline ‘on fire’ as attacks ramp up in region

independent.co.uk

MIDDLE EAST

Taiwan hikes gasoline prices amid Middle East tension

taiwannews.com.tw

MIDDLE EAST

BRICS nations call for 'maximum restraint' in Middle East

The Daily Star

MIDDLE EAST

BRICS Opposes Unilateral Sanctions, Urges Restraint in Middle East

bloomingbit

MIDDLE EAST

BRICS Leaders Call for 'Maximum Restraint' as Middle East War Tests Bloc Unity

Kurdistan24

MIDDLE EAST

Xi Urges BRICS to Play Peacemaking Role in Middle East Conflict

The Diplomatic Insight

MIDDLE EAST

BRICS summit leaders urge 'maximum restraint' in Middle East

uk.news.yahoo.com

MIDDLE EAST

Middle East has no need for US ‘policeman’ – Iran

Vanguard News

MIDDLE EAST

War, latest news. Trump: ‘Iran likely responsible for the attack on the oil pipeline’. Saudi Arabia also closes the East-West pipeline

Il Sole 24 ORE

MIDDLE EAST

Trump Says Iran 'Probably' Behind Attack on Saudi Pipeline

Haaretz

MIDDLE EAST

Iran president says Middle East has no need for US 'policeman'

The Daily Star

MIDDLE EAST

Lebanon’s president visits south after Israel blows up strategic Hezbollah site

Al Arabiya English

MIDDLE EAST

Israel-Lebanon talks in Rome delayed to October: US official

thejakartapost.com

MIDDLE EAST

Middle East conflict: Saudi Arabia shuts pipeline after attacks as Houthis seize Yemen's Red Sea coast, Iran to discuss Hormuz

Gulf News

MIDDLE EAST

After Ali Al-Taher blasts, is Israel recasting southern Lebanon?

アラブニュース

MIDDLE EAST

Live Updates: Latest from Israel, Iran, and the Middle East

The Jerusalem Post

About Middle East

What the region is, and what it is called

The Middle East is a term of external origin with no fixed boundary, generally taken to span western Asia and parts of north Africa, and often used interchangeably with overlapping labels that include and exclude different countries. The region contains Arab-majority states alongside Iran, Israel, Turkey and others, with Arabic, Persian, Hebrew, Turkish and Kurdish among its major languages, and Islam, Christianity and Judaism all originating within it. Political systems range from hereditary monarchies to republics of several kinds. Place names themselves are contested in specific cases, with seas, cities and territories called different things by different parties as a matter of political position.

Energy, water and demography

Three material facts shape much of what happens. A large share of the world's proven oil and gas reserves lies in the region, which gives several states substantial revenue and gives outside powers a durable interest, and it is why producer coordination on output is consequential well beyond the region. Water is scarce, rivers and aquifers cross borders, and their allocation is a standing source of negotiation and friction. Populations in many countries are young, so employment, education and housing are central domestic pressures, and several economies are explicitly pursuing diversification away from hydrocarbon revenue.

States, non-state actors and outside powers

Coverage here involves parties of several different kinds, and conflating them causes confusion. Sovereign states act through governments and armed forces. Armed non-state organizations hold territory, provide services and participate in politics in several countries, and are designated differently by different governments, which is a political judgment rather than a neutral classification. Outside powers maintain bases, supply weapons and broker agreements. Long-running disputes in the region are the subject of active disagreement about history, law and legitimacy, and Trill News covers them by attributing claims to whoever is making them rather than adopting any party's framing as the neutral one.

Reading coverage of a contested region

Few subjects are reported with more scrutiny of the reporting itself, and some habits help. Vocabulary is frequently the argument in miniature, since the words chosen for territories, borders, groups and events encode positions, and no available term is neutral to every party. Casualty figures and incident accounts often come from parties to a dispute or from ministries within them, and independent verification lags. Diaspora communities, external governments and advocacy organizations all participate in shaping coverage. The practical approach is to notice who is speaking and what they are in a position to know, rather than to look for a source with no perspective at all, because none exists.